AI
The Cosmic Bridge: Theodicy—Merging Christian Apologetics and Afrofuturism in Speculative Fiction
AI
The Neo Transcendentalists by Norman Plant
Episode notes
The exploration of God’s existence and theodicy—the vindication of divine goodness in the face of evil—follows two distinct but increasingly overlapping paths in Christian and Afrofuturist speculative fiction. Traditional Christian science fiction typically frames theodicy as an abstract or cosmic puzzle, while Afrofuturist speculative fiction approaches it as a historical and systemic reality. Norman Plant’s The Neo Transcendentalists functions as a bridge between these traditions, merging classical Christian apologetics with the socio-political critiques central to Afrofuturism.
Keywords
Black Women, Afro Futurism, Christianity, Faith, Black Comic Books Anti-Theodicy, N.K. Jemisin, Theodicy, J.R.R. Tolkien